Operating System

Fundamentals

1. Components of an OS
2. Functions of an OS
3. Types of OS
4. Command-line tools
 The Three Elements of an OS
 User Interface – The part of the OS
that you interface with.
 Kernel – The core of the OS. Interacts
with the BIOS (at one end), and the UI
(at the other end).
 File Management System – Organizes
and manages files.
 Operating System Functions

 File Management

 Application Management

 Built-in Utility Programs

 Control of Computer Hardware

 Operating System Types
 Multiuser – Two or more users work
with the computer at the same time
 Multitasking – Two or more
processes running at the same time.
 Multithreading – Two or more parts
of the same process running at the
same time.
 PC Operating Systems

 Microsoft Windows
 MacIntosh OS
 Linux
 MS Windows Versions
 Home (Non-Professional) Versions
• Windows 95
• Windows 98
• Windows Me
 Professional (Business) Versions
• Windows NT
• Windows 2000
 The Two Lines Came Together in
Windows XP (2001)
 Disk Operating System
( DOS )
 The first PC Operating System (1981)
 Not a Multitasking OS, only one program
could run at a time
 A command-line interface, no GUI.
 Early versions of Windows sat on top of DOS
and used it to communicate with the BIOS.
 Windows XP communicates directly with the
BIOS, but allows commands to be entered
via a command prompt.
 File System
 A file is a collection of bytes of
information treated as a single unit.
 It is given a name to make it easy to
find and use later.
 The file system keeps track of where
a file is actually resident on a disk.
 A disk (hard disk, floppy, optical
disk) is subdivided into directories or
folders.
 File System (continued)
 The top level folder on a disk is
known as the root.
 The root is generally subdivided into
subfolders.
 Any folder or subfolder can contain
files and other folders.
 The fully-qualified filename includes
the name of the file and the path to
the folder in which it resides:
c:\courses\061\cit141\chapter4.ppt
Windows Registered File Types

 A particular file extension can be

registered and associated with a particular
program.
• .docx files are associated with MS Word
• .xlsx files are associated with MS Excel
• .txt files are associated with Notepad
• .html files are associated with IE
 This is how Windows knows what to do
when you double-click a file in My
Computer.
 File Attributes
 Each file has four attributes which
can be viewed or set.
• Read Only – File may be viewed, copied,
executed (if appropriate), but not
changed. It can be deleted.
• Hidden – File will not be displayed in
normal list of files.
• System – File is identified to belong to
system, should not be messed with.
• Archive – File is (or is not) a candidate
for backup.
 DOS Commands
 Two types – Internal and External
• Internal commands are resident in the
main kernel file: command.com (or
cmd.exe)
• External commands are separate little
programs.
 It's important to learn DOS
commands because you can write
scripts to execute a set of commands
automatically.
The Command Prompt

By default, it reminds you

of the current drive and the
current directory.
 Three Parts of a DOS Command

xcopy /m/e c:\temp d:\temp

Command Switches Parameters

Name
 DOS Wildcard Characters
 The characters ? and * can be used
to affect multiple files with a single
command.
• The ? means any single character.

copy c:\temp\notes??.doc d:\temp

means copy any Word file that begins

with the word "notes" with exactly two
other characters, like "notes01.doc",
"notesAB.doc", etc.
 DOS Wildcard Characters
• The "*" wildcard replaces any number of
characters.

copy c:\temp\notes.* d:\temp

(copy all files with the name "notes" and
any extension.)

copy *.doc c:\temp

(copy all files with a "doc" extension in
the current directory.)
 At the Command Prompt
 A drive letter and a ":" (e.g. "f:")
makes that your current drive.
 CD (Change Directory)
• cd (with no parameters) reminds you
what the current directory is.
• cd .. moves you to the parent of the
current directory (up one level).
• cd \ moves you to the root of the
current drive.
• cd <some directory> makes that your
current directory.
 DOS Commands
 MD – Make directory.
 RD – Remove a directory or an entire
directory tree.
 DIR – Display the contents of a directory.
 DEL (or ERASE) – Deletes one or more
files.
 COPY – Places a copy of file(s) in a
different folder.
 XCOPY – Flexible copy command used for
copying large groups of files, commonly
used for file backup.
 More DOS Commands
 MOVE – Moves file(s) from one folder
to another.
 REN(AME) – Renames file(s).
 ATTRIB – Displays or sets file
attributes.
 FORMAT – Formats a disk.
 CHKDSK – Tests the file system on a
disk, and reports status.
 Even More
 DATE and TIME – Display & set the
current date & time in the PC.
 TYPE – Displays the contents of a
text file.